North American Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners Market

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled North American Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners Market provides an overview of the competitive structure, market share analysis, demand analysis, and revenues along with a complete analysis of key market drivers, restraints, and trends that are affecting the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) industry. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following technologies: low-field (<1.5T), mid-field (1.5T), and high-field MRI scanners (=3.0T).

Technological Innovations Help the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners Market Counter the Economic Slump

After finally coming to grips with the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), MRI vendors are now attempting to stave off the effects of the economic slowdown by introducing flexible financial services that leverage the versatility of new platform technologies. To support this push of new technologies, vendors are making heavy investments in the marketing of new technologies specifically designed to streamline workflow and increase patient throughput. Such proactive measures have helped them buck the three-year old trend of sagging sales and post a single-digit growth rate in 2008. Market participants hope to sustain this momentum as hospitals increasingly raise their investments in 3 Tesla (T) MRI technology and intra-operative suites with MR-compatible equipment. 3T MRI is fast emerging as the new standard of care, especially for musculoskeletal imaging. "The advancement of imaging protocols for T1-weighted 3D imaging and 3D Fourier Transform imaging enable physicians to deliver greater results in shorter scan times, leading to significant improvements in diagnostic accuracy and patient comfort," says the analyst of this research. "In addition, advanced novel radio frequency (RF) coil designs such as the multi-transmit phase-array body coils promise adaptive technologies that deliver greater electrical efficiency."

These technological advances allow 3T MRI scanners to minimize synthetic aperture radar (SAR) without compromising contrast and thereby, deliver images faster with less artifact. Cost, however, continues to prevent the rapid adoption of 3T MRI among the non-academic community. Its workflow advantages and added clinical value have done little to increase its reimbursement, which remains the same as its lesser field strength sibling, 1.5T. Despite this lack of financial incentives for a modality that demands higher initial investment costs, 3T's revenue has increased by more than 20 percent in 2008. 3T scanners could very well cannibalize the 1.5T MRI market, as its popularity exceeds the academic medical setting boundary with imaging centers looking to gain a clinical and/or marketing edge over its competition. "Advancements in 1.5T and 3T MRI imaging have led to a paradigm shift in MRI utilization as the modality expands outward from simple diagnostics to morphological and functional imaging," notes the analyst. "Highlighting this shift is the growing role of MRI in the intraoperative setting, where advancements in intraoperative surgical equipment such as neuroArm continue to take intraoperative-MRI to new heights and change the face of surgery."

As MRI reinvents itself into a complex functional and structural imaging modality, it becomes imperative for vendors to develop new image acquisition protocols and body coils that deliver targeted clinical examinations and add greater clinical value to 3T MRI. 3T MRI vendors have the opportunity to distinguish themselves by offering superior electronics efficiency along with excellent support services that assist clinicians in realizing all clinical and workflow benefits of 3T. Given the continuous rise in the number of bariatric and geriatric imaging studies performed year-over-year, end users are heavily favoring ultra-short, open-bore scanner designs, which have garnered a reputation for being the 'right product for the right time'. "As a technology-driven and patient-centric market, manufacturers that have developed these ultra-short, wide-bore scanners are seeing the greatest success in revenues and market share amidst a declining market," observes the analyst. "Those that present scanners with wider apertures, improved electronics efficiency, and high quality support services present the most value to the customer looking for the right balance of performance, cost, and patient comfort." SHOW LESS READ MORE >

1 TOTAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCANNERS MARKET

Total Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners Market
1. Introduction and Overview
2. Market Revenues and Metrics
3. Drivers and Restraints
4. Demand Analysis
5. Competitive Landscape and Market Share Analysis

2 LOW-FIELD MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCANNER MARKET

Low-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner Market
1. Market Metrics

3 MID-FIELD MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCANNER MARKET

Mid-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner Market
1. Market Metrics

4 HIGH-FIELD MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCANNER MARKET

High-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanner Market
1. Market Metrics
2. About Frost & Sullivan

Technologies

The following technologies are covered in this research:

Low-field MRI
Mid-field MRI
High-field MRI